That's the point: every motor is developed with different emissions pressures from regulatory, but also cost directives from project development. The M56 SULEV aluminum intake with built-in CCV was way more expensive to design and manufacture than the plastic tube octopus calamity M54 got. There has to have been a reason they did not put M56 SULEV intake into service before. Perhaps it was only cost. The tube monster isn't reliable, so it wasn't that either. I believe most of these choices are based on cost.

But there was incentive to get SULEV certification later, so that warranted the extra cost of designing and casting that intake manifold. Also recall there were fires caused by the worthless CCV in M54, and that lead to an unsuccessful class action wherein BMW denied responsibility but updated the parts and issued TSBs.

Copying another OEM system is about using OEM parts that have been put into service by the factory for factory spec, which you know has at least had a minimum of thought put around reliability and liability. Minimum, obviously, as M54 CCV was a catastrophe.

After watching all posts by "mlody" and his youtube videos. it took me weeks and hundreds of hours of research on the piston rings and vacuum issues, I have come to the conclusions that:

1. Piston oil rings are worn (see "mlody" videos and website), allowing oil to be sucked into combustion chamber. Interestingly "mlody" never did the CCV Mod, instead he replaced his CCV a few times but never did the CCV Mod. He ended up rebuilding his engine with new piston rings using a mix of rings from M52 and M52TU engines.

2. Very few of us have the time/desire to replace the piston rings, thus the CCV Mod. The CCV Mod will definitely increase the vacuum a bit: it is somewhere between minimal vacuum (factory spec) and full (which is around 18 inches of Hg). I will do vacuum measurement on my CCV Mod system soon and post the findings.

This CCV Mod is not a permanent solution, rather, it is a "stop-gap" measure, which is good enough for me.

I was attacking the Valve Cover and the Oil Filter Housing Gasket on my 2003 BMW X5 5 speed manual this week and figured it was a good time to eliminate the factory CCV it was extremely easy but I do plan on adding catch can at some point.

Where exactly is a description of "catch can". Thanks

UPDATE.

See the photos of my setup in Post #164.
Now 1000 miles later, zero oil consumption.
This is a great mod, highly recommended.

Where the heck are you guys finding the little plastic plugs like the one used to plug the black plastic air distribution runner? I went to Autozone, Advance and Harbor Freight and found nothing. Plenty of vacuum caps, which would work for the dipstick tube, but that isn't going to work to plug the hole. Frankly, I'm tired of running all over town...

If you go through the subsequent posts by the O.P. (BavarianE39), he now uses that port that he used to plug it up.
It is better that way as crank case blow-by vapor is sucked into BOTH ports.

So, see my photos above and buy the copper "Tee" as mentioned.
Plus you need a short section of 5/8" or 3/4" hose.
See the photos in Post #164 above.

FYI, after 15,000 miles on this mod, I'm considering going back to CCV (though it's a sucky diy). The (assumed original) VCG developed a leak almost immediately after this mod. I replaced with Victor Reinz, and it blew again after about 10k. At this point, it's leaking like crazy. It's questionable whether VR gaskets are any good on M54, so maybe that's the issue.

I did recently replace the PCV (the replaced PCV seemed fine), and will replace the VCG again after carefully inspecting the VC for cracks. I may also take off the intake runner to make sure nothing's plugged. It's really acting plugged now; I *suspect* it pumped out 1 quart of oil after 15 miles of highway driving. Wife was driving; she said the X3 was billowing white smoke after she parked and appeared on fire. It was "really embarrasing" (sorry Honey!) It sounded like the PCV system might be plugged and some of the oil pumped into the valve tray was forced out the cracked VCG. I ordered a cold weather CCV kit but will first replace the VCG with Elring and see how long it lasts as a test.

My timeline:
10/11/2005 116k bypassed failed CCV with PCV mod
11/21/2005 117k new VCG (VR)
04/17/2016 120k replaced both front (p1) O2 sensors due to codes
03/01/2017 129k bad VCG leak noticed
03/05/2017 129k replaced PCV valve; original appeared OK
03/14/2017 131k very bad VCG leak; O2 b1p1 failed with P0131 (low voltage)

Will check PCV system for clogs, replace VCG again and keep another onhand in case. Thoughts welcome, and I will report back with results. Hopefully this is just a bad VCG because I love the mod, but I'm concerned about the lack of drainage to the oil pan may be causing pressure issues.

The GREAT news is no codes were thrown (besides O2 sensors) for 15k miles after this mod so far.

Valve Cover Gasket ---> BMW OEM only!

Victor Reinz made the original BMW gasket. Then BMW triples the price for the same gasket. No thank you. I'll buy the gasket from the OEM, NOT the stealership.

FYI, VR does NOT make the E53 VCG.

FYI,

M54 VCG is PN 11120030496.

* Dealer price is $40:
https://www.bmwdirectparts.com/oem-p...t-11120030496/

* Rmeuropean dot com pricing is:
- Parts Search
---> Corteco $19: I would trust Corteco, a very reputable company, major supplier for MB, BMW etc.
---> I'd not touch Elring, Victor Rein etc.

It is NOT worth the time redoing the job 2-3 times.

Thanks, I will try Corteco next; the Elring is already here (and I read Elring is OEM for m54 VCG). I also had a VR gasket fail on my S52, and replaced it with Elring, and it's good so far. As for doing 2-3 VCGs, I'd rather do 20 VCGs than 1 CCV. :-)

Ps. This is actually an X3. I've only done a CCV on a RWD e46 330i, and I am not looking forward to doing it on the AWD X3. Even replacing the X3 DISA was twice as hard than on my e46s. You X5 owners have all the room in the world.. :-)

Nice Iam still ok with the ccv don't think to return to pcv with high vacum Which is really scary

An elegant solution would be to retrofit the sulev valve cover from the M56 engine. The valve cover is aluminum, has apparently a N62 CCV valve, but the cover has to be removed to access it. There is only one hose that goes out from the top of the valve cover and attaches to the intake manifold, meaning, you either take a sulev manifold (I wouldn't because the M56 is for a 325 car, so I think it's more restrictive) or one would just cap off the original intake manifold where the other original CCV hoses get attached to it. Also, I wouldn't bother with a new dipstick, just cap off the original CCV connection. Here is a detailed post on e46 fanatics. Be sure you read to the very end, where I posted a few tidbits.

Here is how that valve cover looks with the only 1 hose attached to the intake manifold. You can see where the CCV valve is lodged on the top - the black round plastic cap:

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/attachm...1&d=1424919022

^^Clean work Dorin I agree this is the best solution - Pricey though especially with the "beauty covers" if you can find them -

I wouldn't care about the beauty covers, but from I read what people posted, the WHOLE thing incl intake manifold & beauty cover can be had from scrapyards for around 200 bucks. Not bad considering how much the OEM CCV kit incl. hoses cost.

200 for the cover, but watch out for having to convert to newer-style push-on coils vs older bolt-downs, which needs the newer ignition harness. So that can get pricey if you have an old E53, near as I can tell.

True, but AFAIK, my ex-e39 530 had push on coils and had the M54 engine. My son has the e46 325 and also push on coils....:dunno:

That's true, I think E53 switched at some wacky time to push-ons. Probably just a generation 1 issue for early build-date E53s.

That's me. Now the Elring gasket is in and so far so good. The PCV & tubing was clear. The old VR valve cover gasket had completely failed and 5 of 6 spark plug wells were full of oil; I think a long left sweeper caused oil to dump onto the exhaust, causing the white smoke-out. I'm blaming the VR gasket for now, and will update if things change. Sorry for the alarm.

Another Update at 2,000 miles AFTER CCV Mod: Zero oil consumption.
See the detail of my setup in post #164.

Quick update - just passed over 25k miles with this mod. At 214000 miles engine runs like new - no codes and no oil consumption! My setup in posts 36 and 41.

For how long you are using vr
I've used it and used China and oem all are same but you have to add rtv to avoid leak especially in oem from the agent otherwise it's the worst valve cover I've Seen and vr is the best

Hello, new member here. I've been lurking for a few weeks trying to get smart on a new to us 02/04 with 3.0. Thanks to you all I was able to determine that the CCV had failed as one might imagine would happen in AK in the winter. I was hopeful that I had nipped the issue in the bud with the PCV bypass but alas I also blew the VCG.

I used pretty much an identical set-up as the OP did after he modified it to attach to both sides of the air distribution box. I used a poly pex tee instead of brass which probably has a larger orifice, and I used 5/16" fuel hose from bulkhead CCV attachment to the tee fitting. This eliminated the need for taping or hose clamps. I used 5/8" heater hose for the front connection to the ADB.

I fully intended to follow the procedure to the letter, when I encountered some history of creative fixes: someone had used silicone sealant to fix a vacuum leak around the #6 prong of the ADB into the intake manifold. I found that I was able to do the bypass WITHOUT removing the ADB at all. I understand that it would've been better to clean all of the mustard out but I was afraid of what I would find under the silicone, and it wasn't leaking now. I also unfortunately was unable to separate the bulkhead side of the hose, but I got what I could out of the other. I've seen stories where these things endure worse and figured that it had been on a constant diet of the stuff anyway, and would be happier once it burned out all of that crap.

Wondering if the VCG blowouts are due to strain from increase in vacuum in an older gasket, or just means that I wasn't quick enough to catch the CCV... Any opinions? I am reasonably sure it has it's original VCG (110k) so it may have just been time.

In my case we purchased from a dealer, we may try to jump ship for a e70 35d, otherwise on the hook for plugs/coils/O2 sensors etc from exhaust oil contamination in addition to VCG repair. I'm now concerned enough about the obvious delayed maintenance that I would rather not keep this one if I can avoid it. The Carfax proved to be misleading at best. Anyway, the local dealer enjoys good rep and likes to try to keep it so we'll see how it goes, I don't think that they have that much into it. If I end up stuck with it I'll be here grinding away with the rest of you!

Thanks again to all, I would've hydro locked it without this forum. Cheers!

Sorry to hear about the issues you've discovered when doing the mod, I know how much it sucks to purchase a new vehicle only to discover how the previous owner glued and rigged everything. At your mileage those VCG tend to be very brittle from heat and age so doing the gasket is a great idea. The X5 that I did this mod on is still running strong on the original PCV valve and the engine has not showed any ill effects so I'm fairly confident in this bypass, considering the number of cars I have done this mod on I haven't had a single one report any issues.

The CCV failed, crankcase over pressurized and blew your VCG, oil around gasket and in the spark plug holes. Lucky it didn't hydro-lock or crack the VC

Follow-up 6 months and 3,000 miles later, zero oil consumption: not even a drop, dipstick remained at MAX.

- Remember to check your oil level on a perfectly flat driveway and engine off for about 4-5 minutes. Best is to check your oil level at the same spot in your driveway or your garage.

- Sometimes I checked my oil level at a gas station: even the slightest incline at the gas station can give inaccurate reading, i.e., can move the oil level to somewhere above MIN, but after I got home and parked the car in the same spot overnight, oil level is at MAX.

- Anyway, those interested in the mod can see my setup at post #164.

Ditto on the VCG - replaced with Victor Reinz did not seal well - replaced again with BMW no problems for >10K

Thanks for you work to put this together! My X5 with 167k has always used an excessive amount of oil therefore I plan to install your mod. What is the latest version that you would reccomend?

My 2004 325i with the m54 was ideling very rough. This ccv delete fixed it. I notice oil spots under the car now. Is that just what was in the ccv oil separator?

Ok, I've done this mod to 4, M54 engines now.
Latest one was my son's '03 325....he called me in a panic thinking he had blown a head gasket. Temps were around 14 degrees and all the mustard gunk in the original CCV system froze solid. Attachment 73109We let it thaw out when the temps got up to the 40s and now he doesn't have to worry. The only issue I have is with my '01, 530...seems there's oil leaking out of the tube which did go to the dipstick. I think I may have a bad oil stand gasket and the oil is running down from that. Again, thanks for starting this thread....

- Long-term Follow-up. My mod setup was in thread # 164.

- 10K miles later, zero oil consumption. Fantastic mod!

+1. Over 28000 miles. Running like new!

CN90, On your post #164, is there a step by step somewhere you can point me to? For example, I'm looking for details on the hose you're using to cap off the old ccv, what size is it and what mechanism did you use to secure it to the hoses going to the ccv?

- geobrick...I did this a long time ago, so I don't remember.

- When the weather gets warmer, I can check each and individual hoses and make a detailed list of items so people can get these things ahead of time for the job.

Thanks.

CCV Mod: can it help RMS leak?
 

- I have a 2004 X3 2.5i with very very minor RMS leak. Maybe one drop on the garage floor per night.

- In my previous posts, my theory as to how this CCV Mod works is that there is extra vacuum in the crankcase. In that case a bit of air is drawn in via the RMS.

- If this is the case, then the CCV Mod should reduce or eliminate the RMS leak?

- Has anyone here has a RMS leak and after doing the CCV Mod, the RMS leak goes away? Just curious...

found this mini cooper plugs,probably they fit the m54 intake.

Hello.i would to try this DIY but the PCV valve you added I can’t find on eBay or somewhere.
I can’t buy from autozone because I’m not leave in US
So someon else who could suggest me any other Eshop in Europe or any other PCV valve who will work in this DIY?

- Long-term Follow-up. My mod setup was in thread # 164, Dec. 2016.

- 15K miles later, zero oil consumption!

Before this mod, my oil consumption was 1 qt/300 miles! I was not happy!!!

Sincere thanks to the original poster...

Related Topic...

The Duralast PCV Valve, how often do we need to replace it?

What is your experience with other cars that use this simple Duralast (or similar) PCV valve in terms of routine maintenance, i.e., how many miles when it needs to be replaced?

[emoji173]️

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Xoutpost.com mobile app

10,000 miles and two years of driving in very cold weather and short trips. I never have to add any oil. There is not any mayonnaise type goop in the valve cover gasket!

I have a really bad idle in D and R (red lights). Smooth idle in park and neutral. Car seems to drive well. Usually use qt. of oil about 500-750 miles. I have done just about everything you can think of to this car except CCV. 2001 X5 3.0i and 187k miles. Do you think this could be my culprit? How are cars with modification? Are they all still ok? Are their any new updates?

Yes,

Do the CCV Mod and you WON'T regret.

Close to 70k with this mod with zero oil consumption. On two occasions the CEL came on with misfire codes. Both were vacuum leaks. One was from a plug that developed a crack in it. The other was from a piece of original CCV hose that developed a small crack. Easy fixes. Great mod!

I did this and now my engine is making a squeeking sound when it is under vacuum.
If I take the oil cap off the squeek goes away and if I put my hand over the hole the squeak gradually comes on when the vacuum builds.
When I shut the engine off I can hear the squeek slowly fade away as the vacuum pressure equalizes with the atmosphereic pressure..

It sounds like some seal is letting in air and acting like the reed of a clarinet or something..
Is this bad or OK? Could it hurt something? Do you think it will stop? Too much vacuum?

If you mean the CCV mod by I did this, check your work, Lots of suction at the oil cap can be a symptom of CCV problem. The sound could also be a vacuum leak. A smoke test is the best way to see if that is the problem. Where is the noise coming from?

Please post EXACTLY what you did (photo is helpful to show individual components).

Back when I did mine, I left out the Duralast PCV valve just to see, I HAD the same exact problem as you did, excessive vacuum causing hissing noise (air sucked into the crankcase via the RMS).
Installed the Duralast PCV Valve, problem solved.

So the Duralast PCV valve reduced the flow from 3/4" to 3/8" and somehow the 3/8" flow restriction does the magic trick, i.e., it is just about the correct amount of vacuum.

BTW, I am 20K since this mod, zero oil consumption. I recommend this mod.

Mine is exactly like the OP but possibly a different brand of valve. It is whatever carquest had for a 1998 k1500 replacement, which the duralast valve in the OP is..
I understand you suspicion of proper work, maybe I will make a youtube video but it's dark out..

It sings like a reed to the RPM..
Does sound like the RMS area or oilpan gasket or somewhere down there..

I sprayed my new connections with PB blaster to check for leaks and it made no difference..

50 miles or so now and still the same..

Mayo under the oilcap is gone already though and dry as a bone!

Spraying potential locations for a vacuum leak is always worth a try but it doesn't always work. In my experience, it is at best a 50-50 chance. A smoke test is a much better way to locate vacuum leaks. There are some Youtube vides detailing how to make your own.

VIDEO
https://youtu.be/VFNK7ltMRNU

What do you think of that?

When I did this procedure I used a different PCV valve and it did not work correctly. Got the correct one and all is fine. Gave my e39 to my son over a year ago. Practically no oil consumption. The car has over 175,000 miles with regular maintenance service.

Excess vacuum

Finally did the CCV delete
 

After resisting for years and going through quarts of oil, I finally got around to doing the mod posted here by BavarianE39. Thanks for the excellent detailed instructions.

I'm not sure how to adjust the size of the image here.
https://i.imgur.com/2rgm2CV.jpg

That looks real good. On mine I have the pvc valve tilted up slightly maybe 25 degrees, to let gravity help with the valve. Mine works like a charm. Great write up as noted.

951 miles since doing the ccv replacement and it seems there's no oil consumption so far. I'll post again when I've got more miles on it.

I've shared this ingenious repair to a couple of BMW drivers.

I did this mod and it works great, zero oil consumption, so no complaints.

Question re decommissioned system...

1. I leave the Oil Trap alone b/c it is not sucking any oil or any air (I blocked the end of the hose where it joins the valve cover).
So is it OK to leave the Oil Trap in there "forever"?

2. The Return Hose ---> Dipstick Housing, this hose can break with time but since the Oil Trap is decommissioned, is there any harm of ignoring this hose? Let's say it is broken but you ignore it, any issues?

Status Update
 

I've got 2,228 miles on the car after the CVV removal and it looks like the oil's down about a 1/4qt.

I still haven't replaced the valve cover gasket which I suspect has a leak. I don't see any oil on the ground yet but I do smell burning oil in the cabin after long periods of highway speeds at about 70mph (after exiting the highway or slowing in traffic). That could be a contributor to the 1/4qt drop. Either way it's a huge improvement over what it was before removing the CVV.

Hi, for those interested, part # is:
11617596034


What do you guys think about this (clever, but fancy) variant:
https://www.germanautosolutions.com/...ct_m54_ccv.php

- The modification I posted previously works just fine for a cost of $30 for parts.

- To plug existing system hoses: as long as you have some rubber material to plug any factory open hoses, it is OK. The idea is to de-commission the factory PCV system.

CN90, could you please be more specific as to how you've plugged this original open ends of the CCV hoses (marked with big red arrows)?

As we know, open end as female - meaning you had to insert something into them, but how did you make sure it is tight/snug ?


Thanks !



https://i.ibb.co/HHKmmmJ/E53-CCV-Mod-11.jpg

Hello again,

I am planning to do this modification also (including a catch can) but after days of studying I've stumbled upon one issue that has not been adressed (or addressed too little).

There are 2 versions for any PCV system: open and closed.
Open ones are venting the blowby gases to atmosphere, closed ones (as in this case for the M54s) are venting the "filtered" air back into the engine through the intake manifold.

Now comes problem #1: this "filtered" air is not measured .

MAF measures air coming through the intake manifold, but the one coming back from the valve cover through this modification is routed back into the IM AFTER the MAF (through distribution cover) - so there is a surplus of air going to the cylinders, although the ECU has measured less and O2 sensors will measure more.

This will cause crazy fuel trims.

Any schematic of closed PCV system on the net is described as having a venting hose coming from the air filter (so metered air) which allows the crankcase to breath.

See examples below:

https://i.ibb.co/k2L3Vv3/0900c1528003a1a8.gif
https://i.ibb.co/2gBXK2x/2016-06-15-...25-640x427.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/ynPJWXm/MKvDS.gif
https://i.ibb.co/FB3czDZ/po-boy.jpg


Returning to the case of M54 engines: OE system does not have a supplementary/aditional valve cover breather as I remember. The only port of the VC is the one going to the CCV.

So this raises so many questions:
1) Why does the OE M54 CCV system does not have a breather allowing the crankcase to draw air from the intake
2) Would this breather be a good idea as it still allows vacuum but also protect engine seals ?
3) Where would the best connection for a breather be ? I have heard a case where the guy connected a hose from the vacuum F connector in the intake boot to the oil dipstick. If so, would this need a non-return valve (for the improbable case oil from the crankcase/oil pan would come up and flood the intake) ?




My take on this:


https://i.ibb.co/4VmhM8h/planning-M54-CCV-delete.png

Good for you for trying to think things through :) and you are justified having some concerns, but you have some errors in your information. One big problem is that you don't have a diagram of the factory CCCV system. A CCCV system is NOT a closed PCV system. Also, I think it would be good if you started a new thread on this. :)

Umm, sorry, but could you please me more specific about the errors ?
My drawing explicits exactly what you guys are talking about for some time: transforming the CCV into a PCV.

OP - is that a clutch fan or electric fan?

i finally found something similar ---
https://www.ebay.com/itm/16-Piece-Ca...72.m2749.l2649

Other than those caps, what else have people been using to close off the intake port? I'm going to be doing the pcv mod this coming week.

Also, this is my first post never here. Hi all!!

Updates anyone ? Just Replaced my M56 cover setup to this MOd today...
Thank you in advance.

I don't know about M56 engine, but this mod on my 2006 X5 3.0i M54 has worked great.
It is about 15K miles later, zero oil consumption. Fantastic mod!

Oh, its an M54 with the M56 valve cover mod but my co sumption for worse because of a bad diaphragm(CVV).The plastic cover breaks without a replacememt membrane available other than the Russian membrane.Over at e46fanatics,. There is however a Paraklas updated cover that u can use the Russian membrane with and user e46sulev cover and membrane that will be available soon.These fixed the excessive vacuum that some M56 cover mods have encountered.
I couldn't wait and decided to do the Bave39 MoD first.
Thank you CN90.I assume you have no codes developing after the mod with NO Oil consumption.

I did the mod Friday but on cold start an throwing lean codes. My long term fuel trims are high and idle. Under load they normalize which indicates a vacuum leak. Anyone else experience this?

You're right. I did this and my ltfts are crazy high at idle because of the massive amount of unmetered air from the crank case.

I did however just drive 350 miles on the mod and got some awesome gas mileage (30.2 mpgs). Ltfts may be wacky at idle but she sure runs good. If oil consumption is down, I'll consider it a win.

Update after 800 miles...

Oil level is dead full. By this point before the mod, I would be approaching a quart low especially if I drove her hard which I have been.

Update:

After 1400 miles I am just an eek under the full mark. Probably lost 1/8th of a quart. I have been driving her quite hard to see how she is on consumption.

Prior to the mod, I would have already burnt through 1 quart and well on my way to needing to add another quart soon.

At my current rate, with 175,000 miles on my motor, I would say I will be consuming a quart every 4000 miles, maybe more. I know once the oil gets past 2000 miles, it breaks down and is consumed quicker. I have witnessed this in many higher mileage vehicles I have owned.

All in all, I would say this mod is a complete success. I will follow up when I officially need to add a quart.

I can vouch with direct experience that this plug does not work/fit. I tried on Friday and it's too small.

Hi all,
Been reading heavily on this issue and have begun converting my X5/E53/M54 to this mod(utilizing BOTH AD intake ports) due to a problem with vehicle that arose recently, which I believe is CCV related(X has 189,996 on ODO). My daughter(on one of our practice training drives) was stopped at a light to make a right turn into a shopping center, when started getting extreme smoking from exhaust pipes. pulled over immediately and turned it off. I popped the hood and looked around for any visible issues(saw nothing). Let it sit for a few mins to get oil drained to get accurate reading(was on level ground). Checked oil and it was LOW. Opened up filler cap and it was mildly smoking(didn't notice suction amount nor observe any hissing). Let it cool down a bit, then added a full quart to it til it registered on dip. There was no "Mayo" or anything on cap/in oil(it looked normal and ok). Checked coolant and it is topped up, with no visible oil or contaminants in it. Started it up and drove across parking lot. Upon start, no smoke, but began smoking very soon after driving across lot. Parked it in shade(I live in Vegas) and called for AAA and ride home. I have it here in my driveway and have been investigating to see what dealio is. I have not done a compression/smoke/leakdown test. I'm going to hook up mod and fire it up to see what result is. I assume, from reading, that residual oil all over inside- see pics:( -will cause continued smoke for some time after issue(if CCV) was resolved. The smoke appeared to be white to me, but who knows since it was quick before I shut it down and was behind wheel and in the shade for 2nd time, crossing parking lot. If it is CCV issue(and I've solved it with mod), how can I clean the sucked up oil gunk out of IM/ventilation lines? I already did the return hose to dipstick removal/plug(EVERYTHING was BONE DRY down there-no oil leaks, etc) and that drain hose had a few drops of oil inside it(nothing major). I tightly capped metal drain port on base of DS with a 3/8" cap from autozone, then slid return tube over that(cuz of oil in RT) with a little effort and it all worked good. I've owned X since Dec 2003, and do not remember having the CCV system replaced EVER since then!!! I did have engine pulled out by mechanic and a LOT of stuff replaced, but don't think I did that system(D'oh!). 1st pic is of air distribution port(all 6 look same), 2nd pic is small 5/16"(?) port on air distributer(showing a CHUNK of something) after I cleaned it with brake cleaner a couple times, 3rd pic is looking in to vent port on top of engine.
Any help or advice would be appreciated :)

Steve

Did you take your spark plugs out to check for oil on them?

puddinboo, thanks for the reply. Took out 5 of 6.....ALL have oil on them:thumbdown
Didn't bother with 6th. What next?!?!

take the 6th spark plug out, crank the engine with no spark plugs. And let the oil fly out of the cylinders ,the oil will go everywhere ,but you need the oil out of there. Your engine can hydro lock with just a teaspoon of oil and can do catastrophic damage to your engine.
( did your engine lock up while driving?)

Nope, engine didn't lock up while driving. After first noticing smoke, prob 30 seconds before it was parked and shut down. Addition of oil after checking level, 2nd start-up/drive to shady spot was about 20 seconds and it was still running ok, other than smoking sumthin fierce! That's all that it's been run. I don't see liquid in cylinders(other than on plugs a bit), just oily kind of goo. Should I disable the fuel before cranking engine? Could a CCV failure cause this by sucking oil into cylinders? That's what I'm ascertaining from all the CCV reading I've done. Thanks for your help!


Steve

The ccv would cause this issue. Do you change the ccv every 2 yrs? Do you live in a cold climate? You can leave the fuel hooked up, I did and no issues.

The CCV failures are almost always when the car sits out for a night in sub freezing temperatures and the mayo collected in the CCV freezes. How cold was it in Vegas that night and how long had your daughter been driving. If more than 1/2 hour, I doubt the CCV froze. :dunno:

I live in a burb of Vegas(Henderson-kinda up in hills), so don't know if we're considered a "cold climate" or not. My X DOES have the CC package on it, although most of foam sleeves have LONG rotted and broke away(finished off the sliver left on the rigid 3/8"(?) connector tube on distribution when I disassembled that). The foam on oil drain line was still in good shape, from the little I dealt with when under the car, removing it/fitting cap/fitting it back over cap. The other CCV lines have what seems to be a neoprene-type sleeving over the plastic hoses down through top to sep(what do we do with those cut lines on this mod, just leave them be, open??). It does get below freezing at my house(I park X outside/no room in 2-car garage), but not very far below or for extended periods of time in winter. LOL on the 2 year replace schedule(see my orig comment!):yikes: Oil sep "Might" have been replaced since I've owned(Dec '03) the vehicle(would have to go through my paperwork and check though, but don't remember it and I've never done it MYSELF). Can I put a towel lightly over ALL the cylinders to try to "catch" the flying out oil(and maybe some cardboard under that side(in engine bay) to catch too? How much should I crank engine? Like off and on or leaving it cranking for a minute or.....??? Lastly, is there anything I can run through engine to clean all the oil gunk out that's infiltrated the cylinders before I put in new plugs?

Thanks
Steve

Thanks for reply, Overboost. It was about 95F chilly outside last week when we took it out for drive:rofl:
It was prob 70F-ish for the overnight low that car was in that previous night, so there was ZERO chance of freezing. We were prob driving it for about 30-45 mins by the time it triggered the smoking at turn signal into mall. If CCV fails mid-drive, can this situation still occur with oil getting sucked up? I'm guessing that as we slowed down to come to full stop at turn, that's the exact moment that something went wrong and smoke began. We were waiting for 2 bike riders to see if they were gonna cross street(on red) or wait for us(our right-of-way). I saw their reaction of looking at back of our car and looked back to see smoke. Puled in and parked quickly.

Steve

Took last plug out, covered spark plug wells with paper towel, cranked it for a few secs twice, and only got very few specks of oil thrown out. Looks like there's a bunch of semi-dried oil gunk in there, maybe from X sitting idle for a week or so. Is there anything I can spray in there to dissolve that gunk out a bit before putting it back together to test?? Or should I even try to clean that gunk in wells at all? Will engine running(if it can and does) purge that junk as it goes?
I've cleaned all plugs really well, so I'm gonna reinstall those for the test run....They're all in good shape still(only about 25K miles on 'em).

Thanks for any help!

Steve

Just did this mod on M54. I added a catch can just to be sure. I'm confused now. The people doing this mod report no oil consumption. I put about 100 miles on after doing the mod and I've already got about a teaspoon of oil in the catch can. If this mod stops oil usage, why am I seeing oil in the catch can?

200+ miles on this mod and I continue to use oil. I'm going to keep evaluating this mod through my next oil change in about 2000 miles. We'll see what happens. So far, it doesn't look like this mod does anything but increase crankcase vacuum.

There is a ton of misinformation and misunderstanding in this thread. How do you have the catch can plumbed in? If you have stuck rings then increasing crankcase vacuum isn't going to help as much as it should with the oil burning. Maybe starting a new thread would be a good idea as this one is getting really bogged down and hard to follow.

Catch can is plumbed in between the PVC valve and the rear vacuum line that feeds into the intake manifold. It essentially routes the line that the originator of this mod ran directly to the rear vacuum port through a catch can rather than directly into the rear vacuum port on the intake.

I have considered stuck rings. Not sure there's a way to unstick them if they are other than pulling the pistons and installing new rings and I'm NOT going to do that to prevent the loss of 1 quart of oil every 1500 miles (average) or so.

The oil in the catch can is because of problems with the way the nipple comes off the valve cover and baffling. If you can create a bit more of a rise and/or pull from the top of the nipple (maybe add some of the fibre netting stuff) so that oil has a better chance to flow back it will help. Of course the flow you have from vacuum leaks(eg. rear main seal) and blowby the more the baffling problem shows up. Think of it as the catch can is supposed to be in the valve cover. The stuck rings I think can be helped by using premium gas and some aggressive driving. Works for me! :) The catch can is a good idea for checking on how the system is working but you shouldn't need it when you have things working reasonably well.

I can see only using one port on the vacuum manifold being a problem as well but not so much for your oil in the catch can.

Thanks for the input. I always run premium gas. Unfortunately, time and a wife that gets car sick doesn't allow me much aggressive driving. I need to get out on the freeway and blow it out!

HEY fifty- just want to let you know MrMcar from e46fanatics have used a liquimoly engine flush with good results- he outlined it in one of the threads @ E46fanatics if that should be of interest to you, try a search for his posts.
Good luck.

by the way , my E46 325XI touring is using the Bavarian Mod without a catch can and no oil consumption.4k miles now have not added any oil yet.

Thanks doc. I've been using their engine flush at every oil change for awhile now. I change my oil every 5000 miles and I run either 5/40 or 5/30 depending on the time of year. I tried 10/60 to see if it would cut my usage, but it didn't really. Lately, I purchase 10 liters of oil for an oil change and I can count on having to put 2 liters in before the next oil change.

Checked out a post by MrMcar. He recommends using a can of ERR and letting the car idle for half a day, then shutting it down, jacking up the right side of the car to level out the pistons and pour a can of ERR into the spark plug holes and let it sit over night. Then the next morning, crank it to get the fluid out of the cylinders and do an oil change. Run it with the new oil for 1000 miles and change the oil again. His experience with 3 M54 vehicles was that it appeared to unstick the ring packs and oil consumption went way down. I may give it a try. :dunno:

ANY body around here from the original authors of this MOD back in 2015 or any users of this MOD dating back to those early years COME Back report ANY FEEDBACK please...
Would like to know long term effects if any...good and bad.
I m running this MOD for past 5K and starting to see little drops of oil on my driveway.will be doing an oil change soon so i will be able to investigate where my leak is from .So far i cant see anything on top.

I've been running this mod for about as long as you. I don't have any oil leaks that weren't there before. I'm also using just as much oil as I was before the mod. The only small change I made to the mod was to run the post pcv line through an oil catch can. And it is catching oil. So, in my experience this mod has not delivered the promised reduction in oil consumption.

Fifty- sorry it didn't work out for u as it did for me.My concern is the high vacuum that runs with this MOD .I am not sure if it is detrimental to the engine and its seals .Some anecdotal reports on RMS stopped lealing cause of this MOD.
Hoping that my leak is an OFHG which I have not changed yet and not the oil pan nor RMS.
Have not added oil since the MOd and despite the small oil leak level is quarter above low.

I'm glad you and others have had success. I wish I had. Someone on here suggested that this mod would result in fewer oil leaks due to the extra vacuum pulling air in through places like the rear main seal. Could be, I don't know. I didn't/don't have a rear main seal leak. I just did an OFHG change this weekend and it was not a bad leak, just a seep that didn't make drips, but it didn't look like this mod had made any difference in that leak. I do have a small pan gasket leak and that hasn't seemed to change with this mod either. So :dunno:

Long-term report on 2006 X5 3.0i 6sp MT...

- Nov. 2016: 122K miles: oil consumption ---> 1qt/400 miles.

- Aug. 2020: 135K miles: oil consumption ---> nothing at 5K oil change interval.

FYI: if you remove the PCV valve and connect the hoses directly using a simple metal reducer, the crankcase vacuum will be excessive and you will hear a loud hissing vacuum noise (very scary sound), been there done that and posted in this thread. So far, I am very happy with this mod. This mod using the Duralast PCV valve definitely increases the vacuum to the "correct" amount.

I will remove the Duralast PCV valve for inspection and photo for the group soon.

In many cars, this kind of PCV valve *should be* replaced every ___ yr/miles.
Does anyone here know the proper interval for let's say Duralast generic PCV valve as in this mod?

@fifty150 try running with oil level at the low mark.

Curious why you think that might have an effect?

I would be curious why as well?

thanks Cn90 ,-about the PCV - i have no idea what the interval is but , if it was me i would replace it yearly cause its inexpensive and easy to access and RR.Are you still running same set up that uses the 2 ports on the manifold?
wonder if Bave39 still around....

@fifty -thank you for the input , hope you sort that oil consumption soon

Thanks doc so do I. I'm going to let it go a little longer and see what happens. If it keeps up my last ditch effort is to try the ERR treatment to ungunk/unstick the ring packs.

I'm pretty sure the marks on the dipstick are wrong (on mine anyway) and the oil level is far to high on the full mark, causing the crank to dip into the oil. It may have been done intentionally to create the vacuum break for the CCV system but results in too much splash on the cylinder walls and a lot more oil going up against the rear main seal. As far as the "Mod" goes. If you understand how the systems work you will realize how much luck is involved by having it work by just following the instructions in this thread about the "dynalast valve" .

The dynalast valve does not control anything about the "amount" of vacuum in this case. Using only the one port instead of both probably has more of an effect and points out even more about what is unknown by people following this blindly.

If mine continues with the results I've got I will probably put the stock CCV system back in it. No sense running a mod if it doesn't do anything.

I dont blame you, ...If you do get this sorted, you can then have an M56 valve cover MOD which makes it easier to remove and replace the CCV system with a russian membrane and a Paraklas CCV cover and get rid of the old system which is a pain to remove and replace....

Im keeping the Bave39 MOD as it has "cured" my oil consumption.

- This mod is about reducing INTERNAL oil consumption.

- It is NEVER intended to reduce EXTERNAL oil leak. Although it is a potential theory in things such as oil pan gasket or RMS leak, NOT proven yet.

My external leaks are miniscule. I don't have drips under the car. My usage is internal. If my usage was from external leaks I'd have a lot of oil under my car and I don't.

WELL i guess the pioneers of this MOD in 2015 have either moved on or their cars have imploded lol .

WE are all thats left ...will keep the MOD as it has been effective for me and as for my oil leak? its coming from the oil level sensor....
good day everyone..

The pioneer of this mod, Cn90 is still around and reports the mod is still working well for him. I recently put the mod in my truck about 5000 miles ago. I'm still using oil. Truck hasn't imploded. Still a very small leak at the oil pan. Replaced the OFHG and fixed that very small leak.

I added a catch can to the mod and it collects oil, so it looks to me like if I had done this mod without the catch can I would have been dumping oil into the intake. That would have been bad.

I have a theory that the people that did this mod and had it worked had lower mileage engines than I did. I had 250,000 mile on it before I did the mod.

Hey Fifty - I should say you and CN 90 are one of the few pioneers of this MOD left.Thank you for the input.
I was asking for more input from the rest esp.Bave39, I am getting ready to switch my E46 with the regular CCV and my E53 with an O2 pilot MOD to this MOD altogether...another E46 will stay as an M56 as is...
I will pull my spark plugs and take a look if I've been burning oil in there from this MOD .
03 325Xi 165 k miles
04 325XIT 158 k miles
05 325IT 169k miles(M56)yes with the built in fuel pump

05 X5 3.0 155 k miles

Cheers.

My old e39 still going strong, over 200,000 miles. My son drives her now and loves the 5 speed. Hardly any oil usage. What a great little trick.

I must revive this thread upon new findings regarding the amount of vacuum the M54 pulls after this modification.

In latest SIB 110308 BMW states the amount of pressure/vacuum inside the M54 crankcase must be ~16 mBar (that is 0,48inHg). As measured while using the FRAM FV345 PCV valve, the vacuum is 12-15 inHg (or +500mBar). That is over 30x the limit the engine was designed for, this is insane!

And this amount of vacuum is at idle ! Please imagine what letting off throttle/decelerating at 3-4-5K RPMs will do to the level of vacuum :yikes:
This will no doubtly damage seals/orings inside and deprive the oil pump of oil, lowering oil pressure for brief moments on decelerations.

I have not met another engine in the world where upon opening the oil cap that much vacuum is present. This is wrong and must be addressed as this modification transforms a Closed Crankcase Ventilation system into a Positive Crankcase Ventilation system, but without all the elements needed for such a PCV system to work.

Inside classic PCV systems/engines, there is a continuous air circulation inside the crankcase because there are 2 holes letting the crankcase breath: first one lets the blowby exit being sucked by the intake through the PCV and the 2nd one lets fresh filtered air inside the crankcase in order to: 1) limit the amount of vacuum being built 2) properly vent all areas of crankcase in a wide range of engine RPMs
Usually this 2nd hole sucks air from the intake downstream (after) of filter/MAF/MAP but before (upstream) throttle - where the vacuum is low when throttle is closed.

By removing the CCV (OK), plugging the dipstick drain hole (not OK) and rerouting the crankcase blowby venting directly into the intake (OK) you have designed an incomplete PCV system. One has to allow the block/crankcase to be vented with fresh air from a clean source otherwise it would be like sucking air from a plastic bottle: something/somewhere will colapse and those will be either your VCG or rear main seal.

By venting the block through a 2nd hole you are punching a hole in that plastic bottle you are sucking air out of: while the sucking is still there, the bottle will not collapse anymore as some small venting/air is let in keeping it vented.

If this worked for some of you it does not mean is a right thing, the engine was not designed for this amount of vacuum - and this is BMW's statement as you can see.

You need to provide clean measured source of air to the crankcase while using the PCV. This can be easily done through the vacuum F connector in the intake boot with a T connected to the dipstick previously plugged while a check (one way) valve is installed to prevent air/pressure from the crankcase going up to the intake.

Thank you Xelo for your input.
I know you have doubts about this MOD since 2019 (post #253,) did you actually do the MOD and the corrections you suggested, what were the results if you dont mind sharing?
and would you change to the PCV1124DL before measuring the vacuum. We dont use the FRAM 345.
And if indeed there is a a reduction in vacuum, would connecting the F connector to one of the rear unused ports at the back of the intake manifold be as effective?(this is the port that is used by the O2 Pilot Mod)
thank you

I'm 10K miles in.

Oil consumption went from a quart every 800ish miles to a quart every 3500ish miles.

I have 180K miles on my engine. No major leaks. RMS and oil pan has tiny amount of sweat, but has since I've owned the car at 134K miles.

Doc, do you ever throw an SES for high STFTs?

Here's what is occurring for me ever since I performed the mod:

https://youtu.be/LBC6gBnxTRY

I have 6000 miles on this mod. I did it with a catch can. The catch can does catch oil, so this mod doesn't completely eliminate oil usage. That said, I'm 4000 miles since my last oil change and have only used about 1/2 liter. If I go to my next oil change at 5000 miles without adding oil I will consider this mod a complete success. I already consider it a very good mod. I haven't received any SES for STFT. I get the odd LTFT SES for too rich in one bank, but I was getting those before the mod.

I had the EXACT SES light with High LTFT like yours, traced it to a loose connection between pcv hose to rear intake port. I tightened that up and have never had an SES light since. Monitoring LTFT after that shows my readings hovering around the 5-8 not going over 10 and triggering a SES.
just keep in mind that will all this I noticed a small oil leak that i had thought was from the OIL Level sensor- it wasnt, it was from a split RUBBER Cover to my OIL DIPSTICK TUBE.
5k into the MOD and I chickened out thinking it was my RMS or OIL PAN GASKET.
Went back to our conventional CCV factory set up with 5-30 Supertech FS.(yes-thats right)

So far 1/2 quart low .2000 miles in.SWitch to Rotella next.

glad that it worked out for you fifty!!!
you mind posting pics of your SET UP?:thumbup:

I previously installed the catch can mod in my e39.

I have installed a M56 valve cover with integral CCV in my e53. This seems to work really well. I am not using much oil, and don't have to worry about the CCV under the intake manifold...

I'll get some in the next couple of days. I thought I already had some, but I can't find them.

I wouldn't expect much by changing oils. Before I did the mod I tried various weights up to 10w60 and had no appreciable effect on consumption.

yep , im back there again - i still have my set up though and ive become adept at taking off and installing the conventional CCV in our cars that i dont mind it at all now ...current consumption is "acceptable" to me but i would like it close to the negligible Bavarian moD result like i had...

BMW e39 oil consumption.
 

In all my years driving BMWs. This has been the most significant post I have adopted. My old e39 is currently being driven by my son. I believe 200K miles and very little oil use on this variant.

Here's some pics. Sorry it took so long. Have been chasing some other problems on my truck. Finally got a chance to get some. My latest oil consumption has been quite good compared to how it was. There is a caveat however. Since my last oil change I've been doing about 95% around town driving with a little freeway. This normally results in lower oil usage on its own. Because of that I don't consider this a total validation of this mod. It is a very good sign though.

I'm about 500 miles from my 5000 mile oil change being due and I have only used 1 liter of oil. I've never had oil usage that low. Having the catch can allows me to recover oil that normally would have been burned, even with the PCV mod. Since the original mod doesn't call for a catch can I don't see how it really cuts down on oil consumption. I can say without a doubt putting a catch can in the system does.

@ fifty150 -- you need to work on then baffling and/or the fitting that comes off the valve cover if you want to reduce the oil in the catch can. The original system had a cyclone oil separator which you disconnected when you did "the mod."

I get that. That was kind of my point. The original mod doesn't do that. It does exactly what I did minus the catch can which is why I don't understand how the mod could actually reduce the oil consumption without a catch can.

Have you had a California smog check with modifications like that showing yet? Any concerns or plans for when it is next needed?

If you have more flow because of blow-by and/or air leaking into the crankcase (eg. rear main seal) and you don't have the baffling to keep up, then you have more oil going with it and probably a check engine light. Like I said before, people don't realize how much luck there is involved in having this work. Most of this thread is a lot of BS.

No check engine light so far. Definitely running higher crankcase vacuum.

Not yet. I think I'm due in May. If I get called on it I'll reinstall the stock system. As far as I can tell this mod (minus a catch can) doesn't really work as advertised.

thanks for the pictures, i am running the conventional CVV set up for now .

still running high vacumm despite the catch can? The High vacuum was the reason why this MOD worked IIRC, ,,

Yep. I haven't put a gauge on it, but it's definitely significantly higher than the CCV. It's now running in psi range. The CCV runs a vacuum in inches of water column. The high vacuum probably helps with gasket or seal leaks maybe? I don't see how it would help otherwise. From what I'm seeing with the catch can, without it, that oil would be going right back into the intake and getting burned off. Not really cutting oil consumption.

I also can't really give a true assessment of the effectiveness. I went about 7500 to 8000 miles after the change with my normal driving at the time which included freeway driving. I then changed jobs and now have a very short commute and have been doing very little freeway driving. My consumption went way down. But, doing some reading on NewTis I found that oil consumption going down would be expected with around town driving vs freeway driving. When I was doing my previous driving my consumption went down very little with the mod. So, like I said before, I'm not sold on this mod actually working.

I have to get smoged in the next month to renew my registration. We'll see if they call me on it. If they do, I'll be back to the stock system. Then we can see what happens with oil consumption with mostly around town driving. Interesting experiment.

No, PCV1124DL is too restrictive for the volume of airflow needed. You need to keep *at least* the diameter of the OE hoses for the blowby to be properly evacuated. Fram PCV meets the exact size of OE hoses (16mm) and is already used in engines with a displacement much larger than M54, so there are no worries regarding flow of gasses.


Secondly, you need to vent the crankcase, not the intake. Connecting F to back of intake (02pilot port) is senseless, that will make the vacuum past TB suck air after MAF, increasing the amount measured by MAF and increasing mixture adaptations.
F port is already connected to the intake by the hoses merging to brake booster.


Third, I indeed had this CCV-to-PCV modification done, as presented in previously posts. Kept OE hose size all over, exiting VC with 19mm to catch can, then 16mm from CC to Fram PCV and continuing with 16mm to vacuum distributor above intake keeping all original ports for proper distribution of vacuum to all cylinders. Kept original hose plugs for look and proper sealing.




Capped vaccum port at the back of the intake.



Then connected the F port to the oil dipstick old CCV port, but installed a one way valve between (not letting the oil being sucked into intake if something backfires; crankcase sucks filtered and *already measured* air from the intake elbow).


Car runs great, fuel trims at max +/- 2-3%, baffled catch can does its job, not able to make a definitive oil consumption assesment as not moved much on highways with these COVID restrictions.




Pics:
https://postimg.cc/PL2Ktg3x
https://postimg.cc/d7v6wrqF
https://postimg.cc/JGDPqRTf
https://postimg.cc/bs7LV4Ws
https://postimg.cc/sBVFqvSj
https://postimg.cc/NK8qd1KC
https://postimg.cc/CRppCvxf
https://postimg.cc/GBWSWqbw

Things fell apart, but....
 

I did this mod about a year ago (exactly following the original post) and then recently started throwing P0171 and P0174 codes and she was running like crap. I built my own DIY smoke tester and fired her up and quickly found I had a good leak there I should have had a cap per this original instruction:

"After that you have to plug the port on the opposite end of the air distribution piece, I found a red plastic cap that fit in very tight."

I didn't have anything I could find that would fit great so I had cobbled something together and it had come loose causing this issue.

Well, long story short I found that the following product fit very well for this application: Dorman rubber expansion plug #02608. I bought it at O'Reilly an it was around $4.00. You should be able to search this and find it about anywhere that sells auto parts. There is a small nut on there you tighten. I am highly confident this will never come loose and I am impressed how smooth things are running now compared to what I was used to.

Good luck all!

I’m not sure if this was mentioned before (used search and nothing came up), the m56 engine from a sulev e46 has a valve cover that will fit the m54/m52tu engines and the valve cover is aluminium with an inbuilt ccv. Thereby eliminating the need for the stupid ccv system under the intake manifold.

The only issue is that the VC is only available in the US (available from eBay for about ~$250) and some modification is required; ignition coils change to the push in ones, (IIRC 2001 - 2003 X5 models have the bolt in ignition coils) this requires a change to the push in coil harness.
And the ccv diaphragm + cap is somewhat difficult to find. There is a huge thread on another forum where someone made an aluminium cap which works fantastic.
Also, the dipstick tube needs to be capped off and the plumbing for the vacuum lines from the intake manifold to the VC needs to be changed.

All easy work though.

It’s mostly a straight swap and the gain is amazing. I’ve been running my m54b25 with the m56 valve cover for over a year now with no issues or headaches.

Here is a photo of it;
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...60d12a2f87.jpg

This was something I had considered when I bought my X. Catch cans are great, I've had them on other cars, but this would be a maintenance-free solution. I still may end up trying this someday.



Were there any twists in the project, anything that didn't go as expected, or any hidden costs?

The only real big problem was my diaphragm was buggered and I had to find a different solution, the only one I found at the time, was a Russian made one on eBay, but taking that ccv cap off was also impossible without breaking the tabs, and replacement for the cap was not available at that time. Now it is!

I would recommend getting the aluminium cap and Russian diaphragm with the VC before replacing the VC, also if you reside in US, go to a pick n pull to get the VC, I found one (after 4 months of searching) and got the whole kit for $100 (VC, 2 sets of coils, harness, dipstick tube, gaskets and VC vacuum hose)

You can find the cap if you google m56 valve cover on m54 on a forum. (I don’t want to link it because I don’t know the policies here yet).

The other issue I experienced was that my VC studs (screwed into the head) were stretched, and the VC was not sealing correctly, so oil was dripping on the exhaust, so I ordered new head studs and replaced them, and now it is sealing good. I didn’t read anyone else having this issue.

Definitely get new VC gaskets and grommets (for the nuts)!!!
The m56 VC gasket and spark hole gasket is different from the plastic VC, it’s flat, it’s also metal covered in rubber. The grommets are the same.

The last bit was the vacuum hose plumbing, what I did, I left the thin tube running along the intake manifold, I removed the hose off of the fitting for the intake splitter, added 3” long vacuum hose ran it through where the original ccv hose went, added a 90° fitting at the end, then ran another 3” vacuum hose from the VC to the 90° fitting, this makes it look OEM and functions perfectly. If you run the hosing without the 90°, the hose will kink and will cause issues (no air flow).
Hose is 5/8th ID, none collapsible silicone.
The 90° fitting is 5/8ths brass barb.

I forgot to mention in my previous list of items, get the VC to intake manifold hose, you will need the quick connect for the VC, it is different from the composite plastic VC. (In the top left corner of the picture below).

The below shows all the prices I needed, I did not replace my dipstick tube, I just capped off the return feed for the original CCV system. Also, the harness will not need to be changed if you have the push in coils, I just transferred. The clips that hold the harness over (the tiny silver clip on the vc below).
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...431a57d233.jpg


Separate notes; the three clips next to the spark hole gasket, lower right, those go onto the VC lip on the right, they hold the O2 sensor cables.

I can take photos of my install if anyone wants.

Sorry about the long post but I’m adding literally everything tiny thing I did to make it as OEM as I could, fit, finish and function.

i am curious too.

For those with this mod and go for smog test (such as California, Illinois etc.),
any issues with smog test?

My guess is that: it is probably OK.

I'm going to be getting one this weekend. If they fail me because of it, I'll be going back to the stock system. The CCV is still there. I would just need to replace a couple hoses. I'll let you know.

For those who went for emission testing, do you re-install the cosmetic cover
to hide the "Art Work"?

PS: I have never this (CCV Mod) being an issue during smog test.
All the smog stations care is emission pollutants, if the tailpipe output is clean,
then you are OK.

I put the cover on. I also used the factory elbow coming off the valve cover to try and keep it looking as stock as possible. Only thing that gives it away, besides the catch can hanging in the engine compartment are the non-factory hose clamps that are visible. I could have replaced those with factory style, but I was lazy.

Sometimes I wonder the intelligence of these smog inspectors...

Let's say a driver modifies his/her car such as this.
Of course it is not factory (it is better than factory IMHO).

So what, as long as the tailpipe emission tests are good.
I understand why they look into the engine compartment: the purpose of this should be to look for broken hoses that can potentially contaminate the environment.
If the hoses are fine and all they see is a mod, so what...

If they ONLY focus on the tail pipe, then what we did as a mod should not matter...

In New York, they don't open the hood, just plug the computer into the OBD port.

This state requires them to look under the hood. I think if left to their own devices the smog guys would just hang the sniffer in the tail pipe and run the test. Less work for them.

Also,

That is better too bc the bottom line is how much pollutants come out of the exhaust.
And they only way to test that is to hang the sniffer in the tail pipe.

Had my smog test yesterday. Passed. No issues.

Did they (California) open the hood to look at your "art work"?

Yes, they did. The guy was even looking under the car with a mirror. Assuming to confirm downstream 02 sensors were in place. :dunno:

Closed the hood, gave me my paperwork and I was on my way.

Update re smog test...

So E46 2003 325i with 100K with this CCV mod in San Jose CA.
I installed the beauty cover on top of the fuel rail.

- First shop is somewhat familiar with BMW. Checked error codes: none.
Opened the hood: saw the CCV Mod, decided to fail me and said it cost some $700
to install the stock CCV...Guys were smoking something, I said no thanks...lol

- Second shop (mostly Japanese cars). Checked error codes: none.
Used another fancier computer (another level above the basic OBD-II readers): no codes.
Never checked the tailpipe emission. He said tailpipe testing for pollutants such as NOx and CO etc. is for cars before OBD-II, such as cars before 1996 or so.
Opened the hood: did a quick visual check.
Passed with flying colors, zero codes.

The Smog station has a special computer that sends data directly to California DMV computers.

$700 to replace the CCV? Ridiculous.

Just did my 04 3.0 after a hydro lock(at idle -25c)
Had to remove plugs to suck oil out ,fortunately no damage.After two weeks
Noticed drastic decrease in oil consumption . Surprised since I had previously
run an 02 for two winters with same mod(done byP.o)as it was consuming
quite a bit of oil.My E46s seem less subject
to CCV freeze ups,all have cold weather kits
As Did the x5.Maybe tighter engine compartment has slower cool of for more
Drain time? Anyhow I am pleased one less
winter issue.

Hi all,
Just returned from a smog check. Tech plugged in OBDII and test took 5 mins, no underhood check or anything. Passed no prob. Been 3 or 4 years with mod, getting smogs…..never failed. I live in LV, NV.

I need to do this before next winter. I installed the catch can and it's constantly getting filled. Maybe it was just in the winter.
I'd drive like 500km and it'd be full.
Yesterday I drove about 500km in super warm weather, and the catch can is almost empty.

I've also been in the waiting list for the GAS system but nothing is happening on there.

Did anyone measure the vacuum with this mod?
Does torque app measure it properly?

https://i.ibb.co/ZVdyTbS/Screenshot-...712-Torque.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/cTP8Mc3/20230627-111742.jpg

I don’t think torque measure it properly.
I held my hand to the port for about 2-3 minutes, and it started hurting me lol.
It pulled enough that you can really feel the suction after a few minutes.
When I removed my hand, the vacuum stayed the same on the torque app, so obviously it's not right or it's meant to show something else.
My concern is that this much vacuum will damage the seals. I'm not that afraid about the VCG. If VCG got damaged from this mod, I can cancel the mod and replace the gasket.
It's the rear main seal I'm concerned about and don't want it to start leaking.

So I'm wondering if anyone had any seals/gasket damage with this mod and if anyone actually measure the vacuum?

I haven't measured the vacuum, but yes, it is definitely increased. I've been running this mod for approx. 23,000 miles and have not noticed any issues with seals. I replaced the OPG, OFHG and VCG. I have no leaks. I would think that the excess vacuum would be pulling air in anywhere a seal would be leaking. I think the overall effect it actually has is pulling gunk out of the oil rings as well as oil from those rings so it doesn't have a chance to sit there and gum up the rings. That allows the oil rings to seal properly and reduce oil usage.

I have had reduced oil usage with this mod, but I also put a catch can in the system and it does catch oil, so it is not a panacea for oil usage, if the can wasn't there it would be getting sucked into the intake and getting burned off.

Thanks for sharing, you're probably one of the most senior guys with this mod.
I wish someone had measured the actual pressure.
Could I ask you to put your hand over the oil cap and say how strong is the suction?

I'd love to leave this mod now that I've done it. I really don't want to pull the manifold to reinstall another CCV assembly.
I wish I had just installed a brand new CCV when I pulled the manifold last time.
I was fooled by people running catch cans and cursing the ccv system, so I naively believed that it was evil and wanted to get rid of it.

The issue with the suction is that I'm afraid it will pull on the oil seal too hard and bust it.
I have already ordered ac delco top engine cleaner, so that will clean and unstick the rings.

Now it's interesting that I've rear quite a lot of threads on this mod, maybe all of them, and lots of people said that it stopped oil consumption, so I do trust that.

It's also interesting that no one complained of the damaged seals. So either people it happened to were to embarrassed to post about it or maybe, truly, miraculously, no one ever had an issue.

I'm thinking of buying a vacuum gauge and testing the pressure, maybe I can find someone who has measured it for comparison. I wonder what's the safe limit.

On another note, I heard some people saying that with this mod, you get too much pressure, and your gaskets gets blown out. Kinda interesting, how do you get excessive pressure when you're having vacuum. Maybe something I don't get.

Now my opinion on catch cans, not directed towards you, they're complete junk.
First of all, it's too simple of a system to separate oil and vapors.
Like, while the blow by gases pass through the can, probably a very small portion will stay in there. It's only by gravity that some oil droplets will actually stay in the can, everything else will continue traveling into the manifold. So I think the catch can is just useless.
Actually I think it's worse than that. Especially in the winter, because of condensation the stupid thing gets filled up with mostly water all the time. That's why I think the oil catch can is the biggest gimmick...

I have a vacuum gauge. Give me a couple of days and I'll test my engine. I have put my hand on the oil filler opening, both before and after. There is significantly more vacuum with the mod. As to catch cans you may be right, but in my experience it catches a lot of oil, but that's my system and my experience. The CCV is basically a catch can with a drain. It separates oil from the vapors and then runs it back to the crank case at the dip stick. I have to unscrew the can from time to time and pour the captured oil back into the engine. They both do essentially the same thing, but the CCV automatically returns the oil to the crank case.

Thanks for the offer!
I think factory max is around 18 inHg
I'm thinking of using this gauge to measure
MEASUREMAN 2-1/2" dial, 1/4"NPT Lower, Glycerin Filled, Stainless Steel case, Brass Inside, 30inHg/-100kpa-0-30psi/200kpa https://a.co/d/aBk7onu

What's would be the easiest way to do it?
I'm thinking of just drilling a hole in the oil cap and then screwing that vacuum gauge unto it!

https://i.ibb.co/6BtcF9c/Screenshot-...n-Shopping.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/MhLtjvc/Screenshot-...n-Shopping.jpg

Not sure if one or the other would be better for this measurement?

The guage that is vacuum only will give you a more resolution. You could hook it into the CCV drain line going into the dipstick or the dipstick tube itself. You will have full manifold vacuum in the crankcase less any leakage because the PCV "MOD" does nothing to regulate vacuum.

That makes sense.
Do we know the full manifold vacuum?
I think 10 or 20 pages earlier in this thread, I read that with this mod, the vacuum is like 30 times stronger than what it's originally, so like close to 500 inHg.
In this case this gauge won't work as it only goes to 30 inHg.

Vacuum doesn't go higher than 30 in. so guage is ok. Read up on barometric pressure and how that translates to vacuum.

If I understand correctly, the actual vacuum (negative pressure) in the system is the same, with factory CCV or without.
By factory, the CCV system simply blocked the manifold suction, so that the CCV Valve was controlling the flow basically, and not letting manifold intake pull at full force.
Without the CCV, intake manifold creates a lot stronger pressure because there's nothing stopping it.
So now the negative pressure must be trying to pull air into the engine from anywhere it can, like all the gaskets and seals. I guess they can't really leak, cuz the negative pressure is so high. How can oil leak outside if it's beong pulled inside? Yet at the same time, it must not be great for these gaskets and seals to be under so much pressure, they can probably get damaged by constantly being pulled inside the engine.
I'm not an expert and don't know for sure how it works.
By installing the PCV valve between valve cover and manifold, does it not restrict how much air the manifold can pull front the valve cover?
Or otherwise what's the point of that pcv valve?

I have a cap that I drilled a hole in to previously test. That is what I will use. The vacuum was really low, so low it barely moved the needle reading psi. I think I remember reading somewhere that the vacuum was somewhere around 11 inches water column by design. That is roughly 1/2 psi.

The PCV valve does restrict some air, just not as much as the CCV.

A PCV valve is not designed to work in a closed system so it will open completely as soon as crankcase vacuum over comes manifold vacuum minus the PCV valve spring pressure. The only restriction is up until that point right after the engine is started or there is enough blowby (or leak) from the rings to close it again.

Here's my test. So I just measured directly at the hose that goes into the distribution box that's connected to the manifold.
So manifold is pulling 16-17 inHG instead of 0.48 inHG?
Does the original CCV system then blocks the vacuum at the diaphragm and doesn't let it pull so much from valve cover?
I guess to confirm all we need to do is have someone with the stock CCV system measure the vacuum?
Which is probably going to be like bmw says 0.48inHG?
So on this case it's true, the vacuum with this mod is 30 times stronger.
Now how much vacuum is safe for the seals?
Just for fun I sucked on that gauge as hard as I could, and it showed 23 inHG lol! So it relative terms that I can relate to, it's not that much suction...


https://i.ibb.co/Y3m0qwL/20230630-161317.jpg https://i.ibb.co/3F7Bh0b/20230630-161950.jpg https://i.ibb.co/KzmKjgV/20230630-161526.jpg https://i.ibb.co/6Pb0MPs/Screenshot-...531-Torque.jpg https://i.ibb.co/f1fRbMY/20230630-162057.jpg https://i.ibb.co/0sNnWWB/Screenshot-...110-Torque.jpg
But it's probably enough to stop the oil consumption...
Here's CN90's picture, numbers are just examples.
BTW I wonder if CN90 is still around with thus mod?
https://i.ibb.co/VWT6zHC/Screenshot-...735-Chrome.jpg
Fifty150hs I think your mode is a bit different because you installed a catch can??

Mine is pretty much the same except the catch can is in line between the output of the PCV valve and the return into the intake manifold. The Cn90 mod runs the hose from the PCV outlet directly to the intake manifold. The catch can in my system just extends the hose from the PCV outlet and the inlet to the intake manifold. No difference in vacuum.

Sounds good, we've got same vacuum, that's good, you've had it for many years, gives me confidence :)
My setup I'd like cn90 then.
I drove around and according to torque app, the vacuum goes up to 27inHG, but often times, whenever you accelerate, it goes to only 1-2 or around that point.
We'll see what happens...I've got no leaks right now, so it will be easy to tell.

Checked my vacuum today. Put an oil cap on that I had drilled a hole in and plugged in a vac gauge. I was pulling 1" hg at idle. That's only about double the vacuum it's supposed to be pulling. It's more, but certainly not excessive.

Thanks for checking. I bet the oil catch can must be letting the air through. Or there's gotta be a vacuum leak?

Yes, there must be a leak somewhere. There is absolutely no way that a PCV is regulating the vacuum in the crankcase to 1".

Actually I forgot that I swore to myself never to post again in this ridiculous thread!

Catch can is sealed with an O ring. If I had a vacuum leak I'd be throwing codes. I'm not. The line essentially runs from the valve cover, through the catch can and into the intake manifold. When I first tested before the mod I got 1/2" hg vacuum. The system is definitely working as I get oil in the catch can. If I tested vacuum by porting directly into the intake manifold I would expect 17" or more.

:beerchug::rofl:

Gotta drill the cap haha! I'll post results...

Was also thinking if anyone considered a vacuum adjustable valve?
Control Devices VR Series Brass Vacuum Relief Valve, 0-30" Hg Vacuum Range, 1/4" Male NPT https://a.co/d/2Qi4gNR

Something like a propane regulator would probably work nicely to regulate crankcase vacuum but on the fresh air side NOT on the vacuum side. The Wagner adjustable PCV valve in place of the 'magic' PCV valve listed in this thread is a better option as well. If memory serves, the E30 and others used full vacuum on the crankcase with only flow limited by an orifice. I think I have said most of this before but either way I'm done now.

https://i.ibb.co/gjRJnJs/20230707-164105.jpg https://i.ibb.co/nfmKDH2/Screenshot-...126-Torque.jpg

Valve cover pressure around 10 in Hg when vehicle is idling. Not a huge draw I think. Drove the vehicle for maybe 500km and the oil still dropped from full mark to min mark on the dipstick

And that is why I put a catch can into the system. Oil is still getting pulled out of the crankcase. If the vapors go through a catch can you can return it to the crankcase. That said, from full to low in 500 km is a huge loss of oil. That's a liter. Even when I had a bad CCV and I was burning a lot of oil, the most I used was a liter in 600 miles. That was half your usage and I was getting smoke out of the tail pipe. With your kind of usage you should be too, or you should have a big puddle under your engine.

Definitely nothing leaking, so I'm not sure where the oil went lol. I'm gonna test again to make sure.
I also ordered acdelco top engine cleaner, so maybe it will help with bad rings

Alright one more update, made sure engine oil was at max and drove 500km.
Came back and checked again, and the level is full!
So I think this mode is working well. Will see how it holds over time.

Another update...

Long-term report on 2006 X5 3.0i 6sp MT...

- Nov. 2016: 122K miles: oil consumption ---> 1qt/400 miles.

- July 2023: 143K miles: oil consumption ---> nothing at 5K oil change interval.

Legendary!

Only 21k miles in 7 years??

What is your percentage of around town vs freeway driving? I find with the mod on my X consumption is very low when I've done mostly around town driving. When I have a higher percentage of highway driving the consumption goes up to as much as a quart every 5000 miles. Still better than the quart every 600 I was getting before the mod. BMW says that higher oil consumption is to be expected with more highway driving.